The run-up to the shutdown provided an even greater lift. Since the first week of August, prices have come down a full $0.27 cents, to $3.35 from $3.63.

That's a $27 billion boost on the Deutsche Bank scale.

Prices tend to come down around this time of year anyway, as refineries start making the switch to less expensive winter fuel blends from more expensive summer ones.

But they are already actually way down year-over-year, for a bunch of different reasons, including a non-existent hurricane season and reduced Middle East turbulence (as we've discussed many times, the effect of U.S. production is not that huge):

FRED

In general, gas prices have provided a huge lift to consumers this year.

Prices peaked way early, hitting $3.78 in February and have come down since. Compare that with previous recent peaks: